Ronnie Goodman makes his way to the starting line of the San Francisco Marathon on Sunday, July 27, 2014 in San Francisco, Calif. Goodman is a homeless artist who lives in a tent under the freeway who has long dreamed of running in the marathon.

Photo: James Tensuan, The Chronicle

Ronnie Goodman makes his way to the starting line of the San...

Image 8 of 40

Ronnie Goodman warms up on Fulton St. before participating in the San Francisco Marathon on Sunday, July 27, 2014 in San Francisco, Calif. Goodman is a homeless artist who lives in a tent under the freeway who has long dreamed of running in the marathon.

Photo: James Tensuan, The Chronicle

Ronnie Goodman warms up on Fulton St. before participating in the...

Image 9 of 40

Hundreds lined up for the next wave of runners as the sun began to dawn Sunday July 27, 2014. Thousands of runners converged at the Embarcadero in San Francisco, Calif. for the annual San Francisco Marathon.

Ronnie Goodman makes his way through Golden Gate Park during the San Francisco Marathon on Sunday, July 27, 2014 in San Francisco, Calif. Goodman is a homeless artist who lives in a tent under the freeway who has long dreamed of running in the marathon.

Photo: James Tensuan, The Chronicle

Ronnie Goodman makes his way through Golden Gate Park during the...

Image 11 of 40

It's never too late for a portrait as runners made their way north on the Embarcadero Sunday July 27, 2014. Thousands of runners converged at the Embarcadero in San Francisco, Calif. for the annual San Francisco Marathon.

Anna Bretan of Berkeley, Calif. won the women's division of the marathon for the second year. Thousands of runners ran through the streets in the annual San Francisco Marathon held Sunday July 27, 2014.

Some stopped to watch and photograph the sunrise near the Bay Bridge Sunday July 27, 2014. Thousands of runners converged at the Embarcadero in San Francisco, Calif. for the annual San Francisco Marathon.

Gray Augustus (center) and many of the other elite runners listened to the National Anthem before the race Sunday July 27, 2014. Thousands of runners converged at the Embarcadero in San Francisco, Calif. for the annual San Francisco Marathon.

Gray Augustus (center) and many of the other elite runners listened...

Image 26 of 40

Runners began near Mission Street and the Embarcadero with the Bay Bridge in the background. Thousands of runners converged at the Embarcadero in San Francisco, Calif. for the annual San Francisco Marathon.

The elite marathon runners checked their clocks as they began their marathon Sunday July 27, 2014. Thousands of runners converged at the Embarcadero in San Francisco, Calif. for the annual San Francisco Marathon.

Some of the first runners cross the Golden Gate Bridge during the San Francisco Marathon in San Francisco, Calif. on Sunday, July 27, 2014.

Photo: Scott Strazzante, The Chronicle

Some of the first runners cross the Golden Gate Bridge during the...

Image 33 of 40

Some of the first runners cross the Golden Gate Bridge during the San Francisco Marathon in San Francisco, Calif. on Sunday, July 27, 2014.

Photo: Scott Strazzante, The Chronicle

Some of the first runners cross the Golden Gate Bridge during the...

Image 34 of 40

The first runners cross the Golden Gate Bridge during the San Francisco Marathon in San Francisco, Calif. on Sunday, July 27, 2014.

Photo: Scott Strazzante, The Chronicle

The first runners cross the Golden Gate Bridge during the San...

Image 35 of 40

Awaiting the winners at the finish line of the 37th-annual San Francisco Marathon.

Photo: Evan Sernoffsky, The Chronicle

Awaiting the winners at the finish line of the 37th-annual San...

Image 36 of 40

Tegenu Beru of San Jose races far out ahead of the main group, with only a pacemaker rider seen in the background, during the Oakland Marathon on Sunday. Beru won the marathon with a time of 2:30.08.

Photo: Thomas Levinson, The Chronicle

Tegenu Beru of San Jose races far out ahead of the main group, with...

Image 37 of 40

During a marathon you should focus on running, right?

During a marathon you should focus on running, right?

Image 38 of 40

With Alcatraz in the background, a competitor runs on the pedestrian walkway of the Golden Gate Bridge after the roadway was shut off to runners during the San Francisco Marathon in San Franccisco, Calif. on Sunday, July 27, 2014.

Photo: Scott Strazzante, The Chronicle

With Alcatraz in the background, a competitor runs on the...

Image 39 of 40

Used cups are cleaned up after runners in the San Francisco Marathon passed through the Vista Point turn around at the Golden Gate Bridge in San Franccisco, Calif. on Sunday, July 27, 2014.

Photo: Scott Strazzante, The Chronicle

Used cups are cleaned up after runners in the San Francisco...

Image 40 of 40

Francisco Campos of Mexico runs on the pedestrian walkway of the Golden Gate Bridge after the roadway was shut off to runners during the San Francisco Marathon in San Franccisco, Calif. on Sunday, July 27, 2014.

This week the San Francisco Marathon took stock of the 2014 race and came to a conclusion. Basically it can be summarized in one word.

Whoops.

The computer app that was supposed to allow family and friends to track runners didn't work, water was unavailable on parts of the course and race officials are still trying to sort out the confusion about the winner of the women's division of the first half-marathon. Otherwise things went smoothly.

Let's begin by saying this should be a great event for San Francisco. Over 25,000 runners participated, many from out of town, and they raved about the scenery, the city and the course. The races were sold out despite a stiff entry fee over $100.

An enormous amount of time, money and effort went into putting this on Sunday. And it was a mess.

Most troubling were the problems with the water. On an unseasonably hot morning, runners desperately needed hydration and weren't able to get it. Either the water wasn't available or runners had to stand at tables while volunteers poured it.

"I don't know if they were poorly staffed or poorly trained, but none of the tables had cups of water available," said Laurence May, a San Mateo attorney who ran the second half marathon. "I have run eight marathons, a ton of half-marathons and triathlons. The organizers of those would have been killed if they did something like this."

In response, Peter Nantell, who's directed the event for the last 13 years, sent a statement to The Chronicle. He said his crew was ready and able to serve runners at 12 aid stations along the course.

However, he added, "We are aware that water delivery for some water locations was delayed, causing low water levels. As soon as we were alerted to the delay, we responded immediately and supplied additional water to these areas."

But Jenni Kirk, president of the San Francisco Road Runners, ran the full marathon and says she saw more than one runner passed out on the ground in the hot weather. It was hot, but the lack of water had to be a factor.

"You have to learn from other races," she said. "Boston had a hot year, Chicago had a hot year. You have to plan. It is better to have too much water than not enough. Otherwise you end up as the guy passed out on the side of the road."

The frustrating part of the race is that the San Francisco brand is a huge draw. Even if there are problems with the event - officials issued an apology for the defective tracking app before the race even began - there is still the draw of a beautiful city and a race course that includes a jog over the Golden Gate Bridge.

Promotion seen as lacking

This should not only be an impressive event, it should be a magnet for tourists. Reportedly, the participants are largely local. Events like the New York City Marathon draw at least a third of their participants from out of state.

But critics say the race hasn't been promoted well in years. More tellingly, the event staff seems to turn over year after year. The only constant is Nantell.

Those close to the inner workings of the event say there are serious financial problems.

"In my humble opinion," says Len Goldman, former president of the Lake Merritt Joggers and Striders, "they seem to have had their share of issues with putting on a quality product. The management has changed over and over, and there's a lack of consistency. This is more of a people's marathon, not like a New York or Boston, but the organizers still have an obligation to the runners to put on the best race they can."

This was not it. Officials have given conflicting accounts of who won the women's division of the first half-marathon. First they insisted the first runner across the finish line, Stephanie Knast, was the winner, even if another racer, Stephanie Hamm, had a faster time according to her computer chip. Then they revised the times for the first three runners, including Knast, lopping off over two minutes to reflect the fact that they started after the elite runners took off for the full marathon.

"There was a mistake in the original times that were posted," said Karmina Zafiro, a spokesperson for the event. "The half-marathon started approximately two minutes later than the full marathon. This mistake has been corrected."

Hamm was unconvinced.

"They won't admit it, but I'm sure they just picked which numbers to change," she wrote. "I find this race to be completely unprofessional and unethical."

For her part, Knast was just happy to be named the winner. She even asked for Hamm's e-mail address to get in touch and congratulate her on a great race.

Timing issues

Meanwhile, Becky Ikenberry, an executive with Race Central, the timing company, said they didn't find out that the first-half-marathon racers would be starting in the second wave at the start until the race started at 5:30 on the morning.

"We had an error on that (results) page that was showing scoring time, but we fixed it," she wrote to Knast.

And so it goes.

Seriously, couldn't all this have been prevented with an organizing team that was both experienced and well-managed? Kirk, of the SF Road Runners, has run races all over the country and sees the inconsistency in the local marathon.

"It does seem like there are a lot of changes," she said. "I think the key to success for a lot of big marathons is that they have the same people running it year after year. They have stuck with it and made those races a big success. We need one of those people to stay here and make this race great."

Now would be a great time to start. What we've got now isn't working - especially for the host city.